Coal cutting machine having a vertically movable cutter chain jib



July 17, 1956 s. E. PROCTOR 2,755,077

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July 17, 1956 s E PROCTOR 2,755,077

COAL CUTTING MACHINE HAVING A VERTICALLY MOVABLE CUTTER CHAIN JIB Filed Feb. 18, 1952 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 In me n mm Jllly 1956 s E. PROCTOR 2,755,077

COAL CUTTING M ACHINE HAVING A VERTICALLY MOVABLE CUTTER CHAIN JIB Filed Feb. 18, 1952 I 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Mam -wwm was United States Pat 2,755,077 Patented July 17, 1956 COAL CUTTING MACHINE HAVING A VERTI- CALLY MOVABLE CUTTER CHAIN JIB Sidney Ernest Proctor, Aylesbury, England, assignor to Austin Hoy and Company Limited, Aylesbury, England, a British company Application February 18, 1952, Serial No. 272,229

6 Claims. (Cl. 262-30) This invention comprises improvements in or relating to coal cutting machines.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a coal cutting machine of the chain jib type which is suitable for mounting upon the top of a conveyor so that behind the coal cutting machine freshly cut coal can be loaded on to the conveyor for immediate removal. The chain on such a coal cutting machine is necessarily driven by a sprocket on the machine which overlies the conveyor and is therefore elevated at a certain distance above the floor of the working. A construction is known in which the back-hanger-bracket on the coal cutting machine which guides the chain on to the jib, is provided with an inclined portion and in which the chain is of a type which can bend in more than one plane so that the chain can not only go round a sprocket, but can also follow the downwardly inclined guides on the hanger bracket and the jib can be located on the floor level. It will be appreciated that in order to avoid Waste in cutting the coal, the jib should operate at floor level; if the jib is tipped up to run straight on to the sprocket above the floor, level, it will leave a certain amount of coal uncut below it.

It is, however, a disadvantage of the said known construction that if the machine is mounted on the top of a conveyor and the jib is at floor level, it becomes impossible to swing the jib into line with the coal cutting machine because in so doing it would foul the conveyor. It is commonly necessary at the end of a cut to swing the jib into line with the coal cutting machine in order to permit the machine to be run back over the conveyor preparatory to taking'up a fresh position for a new out. In adapting a machine of the type above referred to for operation above a conveyor, it is therefore necessary to make provision which will enable the jib to be swung into line with the machine above the conveyor.

Another case in which the jib of a coal cutter offers difliculty in regard to swinging it into line with the coal cutting machine and flitting the machine preparatory to taking a fresh cut is that of an over-cutting machine where the chain is cutting at roof level. With the chain at roof level, operated from a turret on the machine, manoeuvrability of the machine becomes somewhat restricted because the top jib is in constant contact with the roof.

According to the present invention a machine of the above type is characterised by the fact that the jib is connected to the bracket or turret by means permitting it to be bolted toa face thereon or alternatively released therefrom and that guide means for the chain are provided which permit the chain to move up or down with the jib when it is released from the bracket or turret.

The following is a description by way of example of certain constructions in accordance with the present in vention:

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a coal cutting machine on a conveyor having a back-hanger-bracket and jib construction in accordance with the invention and showing the jib in the coal cutting position;

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the machine showing the jib swung over to the opposite side of the machine to that shown in Figure 1 with its jib lowered;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 with the jib raised;

Figure 4 is a plan of the working parts of the construction;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of an alternative construction;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 but showing the jib raised;

Figure 7 is a side elevation of another alternative construction;

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 showing the jib raised, and

Figure 9 is an end elevation of an alternative construction showing the application of the invention to an overhead jib.

The main body of the coal cutting machine is of the ordinary construction, comprising a motor 11 mounted upon a sled 12 and connected by appropriate gearing at one end to an overhanging portion 13 which contains a vertical sprocket shaft 14. The sprocket shaft projects downwardly from the overhanging portion and carries a chain drive sprocket 15. A back-hanger-bracket 16 is rotatable around the sprocket shaft axis and can be locked in either of three positions at to one another. It carries guides 17 for directing a chain 18 around the sprocket 15 and at one side it carries a projecting block 19 with a vertical face from which projects a rib 20. Fitting on the rib 20 and secured firmly by a set-screw 21 is a block 22 which forms a supporting member for a jib-post 124 which enters and carries a jib 23. When the set-screw 21 is screwed up tightly this makes a very rigid support for the jib. If, however, the set-screw 21 is withdrawn, the jib can come away, with the block 22, from the backhanger-bracket 16. Two inclined chain-guides 24, 25 extend from the level of the guides 17 on the back-hangerbracket 16 to the jib 23 and they are hinged by a pin 26 (Figure 2) to the back-hanger-bracket 16 and by a pin 27 to the jib-post 124 on the block 22. Therefore, if the set-screw 21 is unscrewed, although the jib-post is no longer secured tightly to the block 19 it is only free to be lifted or lowered under the constraint of the chainguide sections 24, 25. As shown in Figure 3, it can be raised to the level of the sprocket 15, where the guide sections 24, 25 are horizontal and there secured by a pin 28 which can be inserted through a hole 30 (dotted, Figure 2), in the block 22. The pin 28 passes above a knee 29 formed as a forwardly-projecting extension of the lower part of rib 20 and is thereby supported against the weight of the jib. The knee 29 lies between two stiffening-webs 31, 32 which connect block 22 with the jib-post 124. Between these webs there is a stop-block 33 (Figure 1) with an inclined inner face 34 (Figure 2) designed to abut against a corresponding inclined underface to the knee 29 when the jib is raised, as can be seen by a comparison of Figures 2 and 3.

The back-hanger-bracket 16 is arranged to rotate on the underside of a supporting casting 40 which is secured to the underside of the overhanging portion 13 of the machine. The casting 40 is bolted to the end of the motor 11 by circular headed set-screws 41 (Figure 1) and it carries two ears 42, 43 which are located on centre lines set at 45 from the centre line of the machine relative to the axis of the shaft 14. The ears 42, 43, overlie ears 44, 45 provided on the back-hanger-bracket at 17 and a locking pin 46 is provided which can be passed through apertures in the ears 43, 45 or 42, 44 which can be brought into register with one another by swinging thebracket 16 about the axis of shaft 14. As can be secn in Figure 1 the jib 23 can be locked so that it extends to the left-hand side of the machine, as shown in the figure, by drawing the pin 46 through the cars 42, 4.4 respectively. If the jib is lifted and swung into line with the motor 11 the car 45 will come under the car 42 and the jib can be locked in this position. As'shown in Figure 2 the jib can be swung over to the other side of the machine and locked by dropping the pin 46 through the cars 43, 45.

In the drawing thessled 12 of the machine is shown resting upon the side rails 50, 51 of a conveyor, the rails being connected across by plates 52. The coal can be fed on to the plates and conveyed by scrapers which are dragged along between the rails 50, 51 by appropriate chains, or the conveyor may be of any other desired form. For cutting, the parts are in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, but when the jib is to be swung above the conveyor rails 50, 51 it is firstly lifted into the position shown in Figure 3. after which the back-hanger-bracket 16 can be swung round to bring the jib above the conveyor.

In Figure 4, in the plan view, the back-hanger-bracket 16 is shown below the casting 40 and the overhanging portion 13 of the machine is supposed to have been removed, with the buffer block 53. The relative position of the cars 42, 43 and 44, 45 when the jib is swung into line above the conveyor can be readily seen in this figure.

Referring to Figures and 6, these show a modified construction. As far as possible the same reference numerals are employed for similar parts in these figures as those employed for Figures 1-4, and these parts do not require further description. The difference is that instead of having pivoted chain-guide sections (such as 24, 25 of Figures l-4) to connect together the jib-post 124 and the block 19 on the back-hanger-bracket 16, there is a link 60 pivoted to the block 19 at 61 and to the jib-post at 62. This link works in slots cut in the lower part of the block 19 and the jib-post 124 respectively. The pivoted chain guides 24, 25 are omitted and, instead the guide 17 is extended forwardly and curved as shown at 63 and a short length of guide 64 is formed on the jib-post 124, where it joins block 22. As before, there is a knee 29 to cooperate with hole 30 in the block 22 and with pin 28 when the jib is raised, as shown in Figure 6.

As will be evident, the type of chain employed with a coal cutting machine according to the present invention must be one such as the ball joint chain described in U. S. Patent. Specification No. 2,566,675 which can bend in two dimensions. The jib may be of the type in which the end is upturned to cut behind the coal.

The application of the invention to the case of coal cutting machines having a turret and an over-cutting jib, is shown in Figure 9. The upper portion of the turret 70 carries a swingable bracket 71 a hinged section 75, corresponding to the hinged section 25 of Figure 2, which can be hinged up or down and to which is hinged a further section 74 connected to the jib proper 83. The section 75 which is hinged to the turret bracket 71 can be raised or lowered and serves to lead the chain from the sprocket 85, which remains at the same level, to the jib 83 in either its raised or lowered position. The remaining parts are similar to the construction shown in Figure 2 already described with the exception that they are inverted so that the jib can operate against the roof 90. With such a construction it is not necessary to have an adjustable turret bead such as the known heads which are hydraulically or otherwise raised and lowered, and this simplifies the machine.

Referring to the description shown in Figures 7 and 8 of the drawings, this is similar to the constructions already described and the same parts bear the same reference numerals. The difference from the construction of Figures l4 is that in Figures 7 and 8 a portion 22 which is bolted to the face of the part 19 carried by the hanger bracket 16 is made smaller and curved and the links 24, 25 which are pivoted to the jib-post 124 and to the member 19 respectively are similarly curved. The efiect is that these parts as viewed in the elevation Figure 7 lie wholly within the projection of the locus of the points of the picks on the tool-carrying chain. The space between the extreme loci of movement of the picks is all cut away by the chain as it advances through the coal and is called the kerf which is indicated in the drawing by the chain lines 125, 126 and it will be seen that the parts which carry the jib all lie within the kerf," right up to the side of the conveyor 51. The member 22 is bolted to the member 19 by a set-screw 21 which also lies within the projected area of the kerf." The result is that the machine will cut loose up to the coal face and the conveyor 51 can be laid as close to the coal face as it will go, and a given size of jib will cut the maximum possible quantity of coal.

I claim:

I. In a coal-cutting machine, the combination of a cutter-chain driving sprocket, means to carry and to drive the sprocket, a jib-carrying bracket mounted on the sprocket-carrying means, a cutter-chain jib extending outwardly from the bracket in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of rotation of the sprocket, a connecting link between the bracket and the jib and articulated at one end to the bracket and at the other to the jib, the pivot axes at the points of articulation being parallel to one another and to the plane of rotation of the sprocket, and a cutter chain running on the sprocket and along the jib which chain is of a type capable of bending in more than one plane, whereby the jib and the part of the chain carried thereby can be moved bodily toward and away from the plane in which the sprocket lies.

2. In a coal-cutting machine the combination of a cutter chain driving sprocket, means to carry and drive the sprocket, a jib carrying bracket swingably mounted on the sprocket carrying means for rotation in a plane parallel to the plane of rotation of the sprocket, a cutter chain jib extending outwardly from the bracket to lie in the normal working plane parallel with the sprocket but at a different elevation thereto in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of rotation of the sprocket, a connecting link between the bracket and the jib and articulated at one end to the bracket and at the other to the jib, the pivot axes at the points of articulation being parallel to one another and to the plane of rotation of the sprocket, and a cutter chain running on the sprocket and along the jib which chain is of a type capable of bending in more than one plane whereby the jib and the part of the chain carried thereby can be moved bodily from the working plane toward and away from the plane in which the sprocket lies.

3. A coal-cutting machine as claimed in claim 2 wherein the connecting link comprises chain guide sections for the cutter chain.

4. In a coal-cutting machine, the combination of a cutter-chain driving sprocket, means to carry and to drive the sprocket, a jib-carrying bracket mounted on the sprocketcarrying means, a cutter-chain jib extending outwardly from the bracket substantially parallel to the plane of rotation of the sprocket, a connecting link between the bracket and the jib and articulated at one end to the bracket and at the other to the jib, the pivot axes at the points of articulation being parallel to one another and to the plane of rotation of the sprocket, a cutter chain running on the sprocket and along the jib which chain is of a type capable of bending in more than one plane, and securing means whereby the jib may be locked against up-and-down movement in a plurality of planes at varying elevations parallel to the plane of the sprocket wheel.

5. A coal-cutting machine comprising the combination of claim 4 wherein the bracket has a non-horizontal securing face and the jib a corresponding face, and the securing means for securing the jib to the bracket comprise means for holding the two faces together.

6. A coal-cutting machine as claimed in claim 4 wherein the means for securing the jib and the bracket together comprise an extension from the jib having a securing face and a corresponding securing face on the bracket, means to secure the faces together, the extension from the jib and the means to secure the faces together being so shaped as to lie Within the outline, as viewed in elevation, of the hinged chain guide sections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Morgan July 3, 1928 Morgan Nov. 12, 1929 Cartlidge Sept. 29, 1931 Joy Aug. 4, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Oct. 5, 1949 

